Auriga treasures (Toronto)

My thoughts were outward today.

I was thinking about the fellow RASCals up at the CAO during the Messier Marathon. I was thinking of the RASCals in town planning to help Earth Hour Star Party at the Ontario Science Centre. I was wondering who would be the DDO. I ruminated on who would be reading the new content I put on the Toronto Centre web site today. I thought of my neighbours to the east who always leave their CF lights on—all night. I hoped everyone in the city would do their bit during Earth Hour. I thought of everyone in the eastern parts of the world turning off their electrics before us. Would it make a difference? Will the planet benefit? I wondered about the haves and havenots.

Intrument: Celestron 8-inch SCT
Mount: Vixen Super Polaris
Method: star hopping

I broke up 5cm thick ice in the back of the driveway after 2:00 PM. I wanted to do this while the Sun was heating up things. By the time I got outside it was already past the driveway alignment. Still, it was good in the back portion. The removal was for two reasons: help when I would try to get the car out; make a better, safer space for observing tonight.

Some time early in the afternoon it occurred to me I should start workin' the plan for tonight's observing. Maybe an hour or so later I started working on it, flitting between web sites, Stellarium, AstroPlanner, and my plan word processor document. When all of a sudden I noticed it was getting dark outside! And that I had already missed the first ISS/ATV flyover. Crikey. I better stop fiddling with the observing list and actually get outside.

I still had not had lunch or dinner!

Was finally set up and ready to go quarter after 8. Aimed to Orion, aligned on the Great Nebula, M42, and pulled the cap off the new eyepiece and the front objective cover. First light at 8:39. All this atop the newish Williams Optics mirror. The baader planetarium Hyperion-Aspheric 36mm 72° AFOV 2" eyepiece beautifully framed the nebula and the Trapezium stars. The luminosity flowed around the bright stars. I considered sketching Messier 42. Tube currents were very apparent but the view was still pleasing.

There's a fair amount of vibration happening. No wind. Seems to be in the mount up... Something loose? The new heavier components on the back end? It is due to the (still) missing wing nut from the triangular tray?!

Just as I was starting to take it all in, Diane came down the driveway to drop something off in her back yard. I said hello. She asked if I was doing this because of Earth Hour. "Sort of," I replied. "But also because I knew it was going to be a nice night."

She asked how I knew it was going to be nice. I thought that slightly peculiar. I said that I watched the weather. Or did I say that I "monitored" it. I do watch it pretty closely. Is that unusual? Doesn't everyone know what the upcoming weather is going to be like? Maybe not. That threw me a little.

I'm not sure what Diane was seeing in her mind. I asked her a couple of times if she saw the 4 bright blue-white stars in the middle of the cloudy area. "Do you mean the sparkly thing?" Maybe it was out of focus for her... She did not seem chipper; perhaps the effects of her cold.

She departed to tuck the kids in. She said they were "freaking out" during the lights-out period.

Is having a light on an addiction?

Are kids today getting hooked on electricity?

At 9:15 I took in the Pleiades (Messier 45, M45). First, I put the old 26mm Plössl in, so to review (remind me) what I have seen, to date, with my old setup. About 2 or 3 bright stars, and another 3 or 4 little ones. Then I loaded up the new 36mm. Wow. Nice! I could see about 20 stars. Four times the area...

As I started to get ready to target some Messiers and double stars, I flipped open the Pocket Sky Atlas. Suddenly, I could not remember if I had printed the newest acetate viewing circles sheet for this book. The new sheets for the Tirion atlases I did do. In fact I had brought them outside already. I had prepared the PSA sheet, it was the first I had done—but had I printed it onto transparency film? I debated doing this now. Finally, I got off my butt and headed inside.

As I rounded the corner of the house, I noticed the lights on at the Western Tech school. Guess nobody told them...

The Psion was beeping! That was the alarm for the International Space Station and Automated Transfer Vehicle. Was I too late? How long at the Psion been beeping? Would I have not heard it outside? Earlier today while outside I did hear other palmtop alarms... I checked the time: it was 9:30! No time to lose. I'll print the viewing circles later!

Rushing outside, I moved to the mid-point of the driveway so I could improve my WNW sight line. And waited. The 10° altitude would have it starting in the trees. Again, I thought of the RASC people at the OSC. The flyovers are always a big hit with the crowds. I waited... There! About 15 to 20° up. I ran for my notepad, pen, and OneWorld weather station. Time check: 9:35. As it rose toward Perseus and 30° it brightened up considerably and then held steady. It passed through the middle of Cassiopeia, just below γ (gamma), the middle star of the W-shape. It wasn't much longer before it winked suddenly out. 9:38.

I waited till 9:41 before conceding while in the house fiddling with my Psion that I missed the first pass, the flyover of the new European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle. Darn. Well, at least I saw the Space Station.

(I should sync up time pieces during pre-planning in the future.)

Printed the new viewing circles for the PSA (without trimming it) and returned outside. The new dark red cel over the computer monitor was a big help in keeping my night vision. I began the long search for M37. Finally, at 10:15 (36% humidity, -2.5°C), I found it. Wow! Not easy. There are few bright stars in the middle of Auriga. It was challenging starhopping and it required a lot of patience. I really enjoyed the view with new baader. The open cluster was compact and revealed fine pale blue stars. There were hundreds of them. I sketched the view.



Tried the new laser pointer. Incredible! Bright.

Then I moved onto M36. Wow. Same pale stars but a lot fewer of them. A dozen or so? I sketched the view again.



North is up-and-left; east is up-and-right.

I was thinking I should use my full size log sheets with this new eyepiece. The baader 36mm presents a 72° field. The large 8" circle on the log sheet will allow for more detail in my drawings and better correspond to the perceived circle in my other eye.

(Hmmm. Maybe I should also add a faint quadrant grid to my log sketch note...)

At 10:36, I found M38. Again a dozen or so stars. Maybe a handful more than M36. But the overall shape is striking. It seemed like a large arrow or cross. My view showed it pointing down. It was big too. It took up about half the 1.3° field in the new eyepiece.

All these clusters seem similar. Are they made of the same types of stars? They all had these fine, delicate, faint blue stars. Are they the same distance? (Wikipedia shows them between 4.1 and 4.6 kly.)

At 10:52, I decided to take a break from the faint fuzzies and instead hunt down some double stars. I pulled out a list I had edited earlier in the day. It was based on Sky and Telescope's winter list. As I surveyed the sky, I saw that Orion was setting. Still, the Hunter's belt was clearly visible. So I aimed at the right-most star. Or thought I did. The view through the eyepiece did not match. Oops, I was looking at ζ (zeta) Orion (aka Alnitak), not δ (delta) Orion (Mintaka). When I finally clued in, I shifted the telescope west, and all was good.

Ironically, while on ζ Orion I could see a very faint companion to the main star, very close to it. Similar colour if I remember correctly. So, I checked off that one on the double star list!

δ Orion appears as a pretty set. Widely separated, good at very low power. The main star is bright white colour; the dimmer companion is a medium blue colour.

I heard some people talking at the front of the driveway and some footfalls on crunching snow and ice. The gang from the second floor had come outside with Kris to take a look. One of them exclaimed, "Wow. When I thought telescope, I imagined a small telescope I guess. Now that's a telescope!" I explained that this really was medium-sized... Kris was wandering around with a white LED flashlight, one of those new jobbies from Canadian Tire. I asked him to shut it off.

I showed them the double star as they peppered me with questions and brought me out a beer.

At one point, someone asked how to find the Little Dipper. I pulled out my new laser pointer from my outer coat pocket... nothing. It did not light up. Crap. The temperature had affected the batteries or the laser itself. Sheesh. I can't win with this thing. I transferred it from the coat to my pants pocket to hopefully get some heat into the parts. (Which did eventually work.)

(Maybe I will get one of those 12V heating pads that I saw up at Sayal Electronics. Then, during cold sessions, I could sit things on this to stay warm, and functional...)

So I had to illustrate the Big Dipper's pointer stars the old fashioned way, by using my hands. I think it worked for the dude.

To show them something exciting, I moved the mount one metre north. And quickly bull's eyed Saturn. It looked great in the wide angle eyepiece, especially with Titan off to the left. I couldn't remember the exact power of the new baader eyepiece but I estimated it around 50 (it's closer to 56). Once everyone had a look, I switched to the Meade 18mm eyepiece. At 110x, the view was fantastic. I could see the ring shadow on the planet. I could see cloud bands on the bottom surface of the planet (particularly the NEB). I could see faint moons to the right, 2 (Dione and Tethys), and a moon directly above Saturn (Rhea). Tremendous view. Everyone really enjoyed that. Satisfied, they wandered off, headed for warmth. It was a little after 11:00.

Kris asked if I needed a light to find my way back into the house. Nope. I'm good! I can see in the dark.

(Kris snapped some photos with his digital camera. I'll have to get those.)

Tried to find Cancer. Ugh. I used Castor and Pollux to sight the head of Hydra. But, for the life of me, I could not make out Cancer, naked eye...

At 12:01 I took in Dubhe. It was pale gold and pale blue. Blue? Orange? The colour changed as I looked at it. Another wide pairing, about ¼ of the baader field of view.

I wanted to try to nab M81 and M82 in the new eyepiece. But after considerable efforts at starhopping, I realised my eyes were acting strangely. I could not seem to keep one closed. And I could not keep the other eye from blinking. Chalk it up to malnutrition... Or being tired. Or stress.

I stuffed everything into the garage save my notes. And the Power Fist loupe—the magnifier looks like it needs a cleaning. And the chilled laser pointer, of course...

I took data from the portable weather stations:

• Oregon Scientific— humidity 57%, temperature -3.1°C
• OneWorld from CTC— humid 48, temp -3.2, pressure 103.7hP

Back in the house by 12:45 I made a midnight snack. Ironically, I found the fridge door open a crack. It had jammed on something inside. So much for me saving energy this evening...

Somewhat satisfied with this session. The new equipment worked well. The mount and motor did OK in the cold conditions and with the additional weight on the back end of the tube. That might have been the first time I used the Power Fist loupe since converting it to a super-bright red LED... It worked really good. I left it on continuously with no worry of draining the 4 AA batteries. I had tried on other occasions to spot the Auriga open clusters without success. It was pleasing to see M36, M37, and M38 tonight. Not easy targets from the backyard though.